Parva 1 Chapter 53: deva aṁśa avataraṇam - prototypal incarnations of gods

On hearing the words of mother earth and thinking minutely on her intention the gods said to the grandparent of world… bhagavan hriyatām asyā dharaṇyā bhāra-saṁtatiḥ | śarīra kartā lokānāṁ tvaṁ hi lokasya ca īśvaraḥ ||1-53-2 “O god brahma, you are the creator of the framework of universe and the lord of all creatures… will you therefore relieve the earth of her prolonged burden? yat kartavyaṁ mahendreṇa yamena varuṇena ca | yadvā kāryaṁ dhaneshena svayaṁ nārāyaṇena vā ||1-53-3 yadvā candramasā kāryam bhāskareṇa anilena vā | ādityaiḥ vasubhiḥ vāpi rudraiḥ vā loka-bhāvanaiḥ ||1-53-4 aśvibhyāṁ deva-vaidyābhyāṁ sādhyaiḥ vā tridaśa-ālayaiḥ | bṛhaspati uśanobhyāṁ vā kālena kalina api vā ||1-53-5 maheśvareṇa vā brahman viśākhena guhena vā | yakṣa rākṣasa gandharvaiḥ ca aranaiḥ vā mahoragaiḥ ||1-53-6 pataṅgaiḥ parvataiḥ cāpi sāgaraiḥ vā mahā ūrmibhiḥ | gaṅgā-mukhābhiḥ divyābhiḥ saridbhiḥ vā sureshvara ||1-53-7 kṣipram ājṣāpaya vibho katham aṁśaḥ prayujyatām | yadi te pārthivaṁ kāryaṁ karyaṁ pārthiva-vigrahe ||1-53-8 O lord, if you wish to accomplish the object of the earth in this calamity of hers, will you, without delay, ascertain as to what prototypic incarnations can be taken by these entities: mahendra, yama, varuṇa, or what can be done by kubera, the lord of riches, or by nārāyaṇa himself… or by candra, sun, air, or by ādityā-s, vasu-s, rudrā-s… or by the celestial physicians ashvini-twins, by heaven dwelling sādhyā-s, or by bṛhaspati, or by śukra-ācārya, by Time, by kali even… or by maheshvara, or his son viśākha - the kumara, by guha… by yakṣā-s, rākṣasā-s, gandharvā-s, charaṇa-cāraṇā-s, or by great reptiles, birds, huge mountains or by oceans, or by their huge tides… or by rivers headed by River ganga… katham aṁśa avataraṇaṁ kurmaḥ sarve pitāmaha | antarikṣa-gatā ye ca pṛthivyāṁ pārthivāḥ ca ye ||1-53-9 sadasyānāṁ ca viprāṇāṁ parthivānaṁ kuleṣu ca | a-yonijāḥ caiva tanūḥ sṛjāmo jagatī tale ||1-53-10 O grand-father, in which way we celestials take incarnations prototypically to save earth – this you please tell us… we, at your behest, are ready to transmogrify ourselves… we are ready to take up whatever form you wish us to take, so please tell as to who shall be skywalkers and who shall be on earth, who should become the members of brāhamaṇa assemblages, who should take birth in the lineage of kings, who should take birth wombless and who to don which body… surāṇām eka kāryāṇāṁ shrutva aitat niśchitaṁ matam | devaiḥ parivṛtaiḥ prāha vākyaṁ lokapitāmahaḥ ||1-53-11 On hearing this resolution of the gods assembled together for one common cause, i.e. saving the earth, then the grandparent thus clamoured over by the celestials, said to them this way… rochate me suraśreṣṭhā yuṣmākam api niśchayaḥ | sṛjadhvaṁ sva-śarīra aṁśān tejasā ātma-samān bhuvi ||1-53-12 sarva eva suraśreṣṭhāḥ tejobhir avarohata | bhāvayanto bhuvaṁ devīṁ labdhvā tribhuvana shriyam ||1-53-13 pārthive bhārate vaṁśe pūrvam eva vijānatā | pṛthivyāṁ saṁbhramam imam śrūyatāṁ yat mayā kṛtam ||1-53-14 "Your enthusiasm to come to the succour of earth is very pleasing to me… oh, gods, you may take up transmogrification of selfsame personalities of kings and vassals on earth, supported by your personal vigour, becoming highly renowned personalities in the triad of worlds, acquiring the prosperous lady-of-the-kingdom, rājyaśrī, duly honoured by mother earth, and thus you may alleviate the discomfiture of kings of bharata dynasty… I for myself had done something n the olden days, when I expected some problem to mother earth… now you may listen what it is… samudre aham purā pūrve velām āsādya paśchimām | Ase sārdhaṁ tanūjena kashyapena mahātmanā ||1-53-15 kathābhiḥ pūrva-vṛttābhir loka-veda-anugāmibhiḥ | itivṛttaiḥ ca bahubhiḥ purāṇa prabhavaiḥ gunāiḥ ||1-53-16 kurvataḥ tu kathāḥ tāḥ tāḥ samudraḥ saha gaṅgayā | samīpam ājagāma āśu yuktaḥ toyada mārutaiḥ ||1-53-17 sa vīchi-viṣamāṁ kurvan gatiṁ vega-taraṅgiṇīm | yādo-gaṇa-vicitreṇa saṁchannaḥ toya vāsasā ||1-53-18 śaṅkha muktā amala tanuḥ pravāla-druma-bhūṣaṇaḥ | yukta candramasā pūrṇaḥ sa abhra gaṁbhīra niḥsvanaḥ||1-53-19 sa māṁ paribhavann eva svāṁ velāṁ sam-atikraman | kledayāmāsa chapalaiḥ lāvanaiḥ aṁbu-visravaiḥ ||1-53-20 In the days of yore I was seated on the western bank of the eastern ocean along with my brainchild sage kāśyapa… I was describing various themes relating to the Vedas described before, as well as many other episodes of the purāna-s, and about supreme virtues envisaged in those legends... while I was thus discoursing on those and those legends, you all have come to me followed by lord ocean, remember… At that time ocean has come impacted with clouds, air and full moon, and of course, under the leverage of River ganga… his rip current is then see-sawed by cross currents of air, he is covered with flip-flopping water as his flipping raiment; shells, pearls, corals and jewels as his ornaments; various aquatic animals as other embellishments; blaring like cloud surcharged with water; above all, with full moon at backstage… he came infringing the tide-line flouting the convention I made, and he started to irritate me by drenching me with saline water and dampening the place where I am sitting… taṁ ca deśaṁ vyavasitaḥ samudrodbhiḥ vi-marditum | uktaḥ saṁrabdhayā vācā śānto'sīti mayā tadā||1-53-21 When the ocean was making a mess of that place with his water I angrily said to him "be quiet…" śānto asīt ukta mātraḥ tu tanutvaṁ sāgaro gataḥ | saṁhata ūrmi taraṅga oghaḥ sthitaḥ rāja-śriyā jvalan ||1-53-22 Sooner I said "be quiet" than he assumed a quiet form brilliant with regal grace by withdrawing the outrush of his tides and waves… bhūyaḥ caiva mayā śaptaḥ samudraḥ saha gaṅgayā | sa-kāraṇāṁ matiṁ kṛtvā yuṣmākaṁ hita-kāmyayā ||1-53-23 yasmāt tvaṁ rāja tulyena vapuṣā samupasthitaḥ | gaccha arṇava mahī-pālo rāja eva tvaṁ bhaviṣyasi ||1-53-24 tatrāpi sahajāṁ līlāṁ dhārayan svena tejasā | bhaviṣyasi nṛṇāṁ bhartā bhāratānāṁ kulodvahaḥ ||1-53-25 śānto asi ti mayā uktaḥ tvaṁ yachcāsi tanutāṁ gataḥ | su-tanur yaśasā loke śantanuḥ tvaṁ bhaviṣyasi ||1-53-26 iyam api āyata-apaṅgī gaṅgā sarvāṅga-śobhanā | rūpiṇī ca sarict śreṣṭhā tatra tvām upayāsyati ||1-53-27 Then I imprecated a curse on the ocean and ganga with a purpose in view, which will be conducive for your welfare ultimately, saying "oh ocean, you stood composedly like a king when I asked you to be silent… hence, proceed and become a king worthy enough to protect earth… taking birth in the dynasty of bharatā-s you will become a foremost king of that lineage, and by undertaking deeds commensurable to the all-encompassing character of ocean, you will shine like a jewel of that dynasty… As soon as I asked you to ‘be quiet…’ you assumed a serene form albeit contrary to your impatience… therefore gifted with a for befitting to a ‘Serene Highness’ you will be celebrated on earth by the name of shantanu – śānta tanu… śāntena tanute… And this foremost of rivers, ganga, a curvaceous one with broad and curvy eyes, will cleave to you there… evam uktaḥ tu māṁ kṣubdhaḥ saḥ abhi-vīkṣya arṇavaḥ abravīt | When I said this, the downhearted ocean said this prayerfully seeing at me... māṁ prabho deva-devānāṁ kimarthaṁ śaptavān asi 1-53-28 ahaṁ tava vidheya-ātmā tvat kṛta tvat parāyaṇaḥ | aśapaḥ a-sadṛśaiḥ vākyaiḥ ātmajaṁ māṁ kim ātmanā ||1-53-29 He said "0h, lord, oh, god of gods, why imprecating a curse on me? I am an ardent follower of yours; I have been made by you and am always under thy protection like your son... what for you have cursed me in unbecoming words? bhagavan tvat prasādena vegāt parvaṇi vardhitaḥ | yadi ahaṁ chalito brahman kaḥ atra doṣo mama ātmanaḥ ||1-53-30 How am I blameworthy, 0h, lord, if I am fidgety with rapidity of tidal surge according to calendric events…? kṣiptābhiḥ pavanaiḥ adbhiḥ spṛṣṭo yadi asi parvaṇi | atra me kiṁ nu bhagavan vidyate śāpa-kāraṇam ||1-53-31 I do not see any reason for your hurling a curse on me when you are touched with my water thrown up by wind, not by me, that too on a calendar event… uddhataiḥ ca mahā-vātaiḥ pravṛddhaiḥ ca balāhakaiḥ | parvaṇā ca indu yuktena tribhiḥ kṣubdhaḥ asmi kāraṇaiḥ ||1-53-32 evaṁ yadi aparāddho ahaṁ kāraṇaiḥ tvat pra-kalpitaiḥ | kṣantum arhasi me brahmaṣ śāpo ayaṁ vi-nivartyatām ||1-53-33 Three factors made me tumultuous, namely gushing wind, amassing clouds, calendric moon, full or nil… even then, oh brahman, if you feel that the mistake is entirely mine, for these three factor set to work by you alone, then I have no other go than to seek forgiveness from you, or let there be an end of this curse… evaṁ mayi nirālambe śāpāt śithilatāṁ gate | kāruṇyaṁ kuru devesha pramāṇaṁ yadi avekṣase ||1-53-34 asyāḥ tu deva gaṅgāyā gāṁ gatāyāḥ tvat ājṣayā | mama doṣāt sa-doṣāyāḥ prasādaṁ kartum arhasi ||1-53-35 If you conscientiously anticipate this sort of cursing an adherent as wrongdoing – pramāṇam = śarṇagata upekśāyām doṣa pratipādakam vedam - then pardon me who am already helpless – nirālambatvam; demoralized with curse… Further, oh, lord, I am guilty as you say… but how is this River ganga culpable along with an inculpated one like me, and how justified is her going to earth along with a blemished one like me… won’t you show some mercy on her…” so said ocean-god to me.. tam ahaṁ ślakṣṇayā vāca mahārṇavam atha abruvam | a-kāraṇa-jṣaṁ devānāṁ trastaṁ śāpa-analena tam ||1-53-36 Thereupon I said in sweet accents to the ocean-god, who is terrified and moved by the curse, and who stood among gods innocent of the cause thereof… śāntiṁ vraja na bhetavyaṁ prasanno asmi mahodadhe | śāpe asmin saritāṁ-nātha bhaviṣyaṁ śṛṇu kāraṇam ||1-53-37 Be at ease, oh, lord of rivers, you need not fear… I am benevolent… listen now to the future implication of this imprecation… tvaṁ gaccha bhārate vaṁśe svaṁ dehaṁ svena tejasā | ādhatsva saritāṁ nātha tyaktvā imāṁ sāgarīṁ tanum ||1-53-38 mahodadhe mahīpālaḥ tatra rāja-śriyā vṛtaḥ | pālayan caturo varṇānvraṁsyase salileshvara ||1-53-39 Oh, lord of rivers, renouncing this form of an ocean, take birth as a human king in the dynasty of bhāratās... then, endowed with regal grace you who are a great ocean will become a great king governing the four social orders to their delight… iyaṁ ca te sarit-śreṣṭhā bibhratī rūpam uttamam | tatkālaṁ ramaṇīya aṅgī gaṅgā parichariṣyati ||1-53-40 anayā saha jāhnavyā modamāno mama ājṣayā| imaṁ salila-saṁkledaṁ vismariṣyasi sāgara ||1-53-41 tvaratā caiva kartavyaṁ tvaya idaṁ mama śāsanam | prājāpatyena vidhinā gaṅgayā saha sāgara ||1-53-42 And this foremost one among rivers, ganga, on assuming the form of a beautiful woman will serve your needs, of course, temporarily - tatkālaṁ… there, sporting with this River janhavi, aka ganga, by my command you will not experience the misery of the present curse I have issued, because of your sin of drenching me with saline water - salila-saṁkledaṁ… as such, oh, ocean-god, be quick to implement my order and marry River ganga under the prājāpatya system of marriages… vasavaḥ prachyutāḥ svargāt praviṣṭāḥ ca rasātalam | teṣām utpādana arthāya tvaṁ mayā viniyojitaḥ ||1-53-43 aṣṭau tāṣ jāhnavī garbha anapatya arthaṁ dadhātu iyam | vibhāvasoḥ tulya guṇān surāṇāṁ prīti vardhanān||1-53-44 utpādya tvaṁ vasūṣ śīghraṁ kṛtvā kurukulaṁ mahat | praveṣṭa asi tanuṁ tyaktvā punaḥ sāgara sāgarīm ||1-53-45 Exiled from the celestial region eight vasu-gods have entered the rasā-tala, nether-ward region… I am appointing you for procreating them as humans… Let janhavi conceive and deliver those eight vasu-gods that are effulgent like fire and enhancers of celestials’ joy, as her progeny… And you, oh, ocean god, on procreating the eight vasu-gods as your human sons, thereby making the dynasty of kuru-kings a paradigm, and then casting off your human body you will assume your ocean body, in no time… “So said brahma to ocean god… evam etat mayā pūrvaṁ hitārthaṁ vaḥ surottamāḥ | bhaviṣyaṁ paśyatāṁ bhāraṁ pṛthivyāḥ pārthivātmakam ||1-53-46 Thus oh, foremost gods, beholding the future burden of earth owing to humanly kings, I sowed the seeds of shantau’s lineage, in the days of yore, in which vasu-gods, the dwellers in the celestial region are to take birth… all this is only for your well-being … tat eṣa śantanoḥ vaṁśaḥ pṛ+thivyāṁ ropito mayā | vasavo ye ca gaṅgāyām utpannāḥ tridiva-aukasaḥ ||1-53-47 adyāpi bhuvi gāṅgeyaḥ tatraiva vasuḥ aṣṭamaḥ | sapta ime vasavaḥ prāptāḥ sa ekaḥ pari-laṁbate ||1-53-48 dvitīyāyāṁ sa sṛṣṭāyāṁ dvitīyā śantanoḥ tanuḥ | vicitravīryo dyutimān āsīt rājā pratāpavān ||1-53-49 vaicitryavīryau dvāveva pārthivau bhuvi sāṁpratam | dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ ca pāṇḍuḥ ca vikhyātau puruṣarṣabhau ||1-53-50 In this way I seeded to establish the dynasty of king shantanu in the world, while eight vasu-gods have taken birth as the sons of river ganga… the eighth son of ganga will be hanging around earth with his name as bhīṣma, while the seven preceding vasu-gods will come back to their respective heavens… King shantanu will beget on his second wife a highly effulgent and powerful king named vicitra-virya, whose two sons will be the famous kings of the world, namely dhṛtarāṣṭra and pāṇḍu… There is problem with tense from now on. Sometimes it will be in present – adyāpi; and sometime in past - āsīt rājā; so everthing is brought to future tense for some readability. tatra pāṇḍoḥ śriyā dhṛṣṭe dve bhārye saṁbabhūvatuḥ | śubhe kuntī ca mādrī ca devayoṣa upame tu te ||1-53-51 Of them king pāṇḍu will have two providential wives as good as celestials, the first will be lady kunti, and the second lady mādri dhṛtarāṣṭrasya rājṣas tu bhārya ekā tulya-cāriṇī | gāndhārī bhuvi vikhyātā bhartur nityaṁ vrate sthitā ||1-53-52 King dhṛtarāṣṭra will have one wife named lady gāndhāri, who steadfastly serves and follows her husband in all his actions, thus becomes celebrated in the world… tatra vaṁśā vibhajyantāṁ vipakṣāḥ pakṣa eva ca | putrāṇāṁ hi tayo rājṣorbhavitā vigraho mahān ||1-53-53 teśāṁ vimarde dāyādye nṛpāṇāṁ bhavitā kṣayaḥ | yugānta-pratimaṁ caiva bhaviṣyati mahad-bhayam ||1-53-54 Herein that house of kauravā-s will be divided into two loathsome parties and a terrible dissension will take place amongst the sons of those two kings, namely dhṛtarāṣṭra and pāṇḍu… on account of the internal dissensions of these kings all the royal families will be destroyed. A terrible fear, like the hour of universal dissolution, will then prevail… sa-baleṣu narendreṣu śāntayaḥ tu itara itaram | vivikta pura rāṣṭra oghā kṣitiḥ shaithilyam eṣyati ||1-53-55 When all the kings mutually silence each other together with their armies, the cities and kingdoms will be shorn of their inhabitants, and earth will enter into a state of dilapidation… dvāparasya yugasya ante mayā dṛṣṭaṁ purātanam | kṣayaṁ yāsyanti śastreṇa mānavaiḥ saha pārthivāḥ ||1-53-56 I have long back envisaged that at the end of dwāpara era all the humans, together with kings and their armies will be ravaged only due to the abuse of arsenal... tatra avaśiṣṭān manujān suptān nishi vichetasaḥ | dhakṣyate śaṅkarasya aṁśaḥ pāvakena astra tejasā ||1-53-57 Then aśvatthāma, a prototype incarnate of god shankara, will use fire-missile and annihilate many of the remnant humanity, that too when they are fast asleep in night time… antaka-pratime tasmin nivṛtte krūra-karmaṇi | samāptam idam ākhyāsye tritīyaṁ dvāparaṁ yugam ||1-53-58 With the rescission of this stony-hearted doom-maker, namely aśvatthāma, the third dvāpara era, of which we are talking, will come to close… maheshvara aṁśe apasṛte tato māheśvaraṁ yugam | śiṣyaṁ pravartate paścāt yugaṁ dāruṇa darshanam ||1-53-59 When the incarnate of great lord – mahā īśvara aṁśa - namely kṛṣṇa -viṣṇuvaṁśo śrīkṛṣṇo; apasṛte – vaikuṇṭham gate sati; returns to vaikuṇṭham, then the era of rudra - maheshvara yugam – i.e. a ruinous era, kali yuga commences, and remains till the end of era cycle – but in a terrible way… adharmaprāya puruṣaṁ svalpa dharma pratigraham| | ut-sanna satya saṁyogaṁ vardhita anṛta saṁchayam ||1-53-60 In this kali era people will perpetrate many iniquities and only a portion of virtue flourishes. Truth will be abnegated and agglomerations of falsehood will thrive… maheśvaraṁ kumāraṁ ca dvau ca devau samāśritāḥ | bhaviṣyanti narāḥ sarve loke na sthavir-āyuṣaḥ ||1-53-61 In this kali era people will worship only rudra and his son kumāra, aka kārtikeya; owing to premature deaths old and long-lived men will not exist on the earth… tat eṣa nirṇayaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ pārthiva antakaḥ | amsha avataraṇaṁ sarve surāḥ kuruta mā ciram ||1-53-62 This is the best decision taken form the abolition of kings and kingships on earth, hence all of you gods make haste to go to earth in some prototypical-incarnation or the other… dharmasya aṁśaḥ tu kuntyāṁ vai mādryāṁ ca viniyujyatām | vigrahasya kaliḥ mūlaṁ gāndhāryāṁ viniyujyatām ||1-53-63 Among others, lady kunti delivers a son with a tinge of god dharma, so also lady mādri delivers some incarnates… likewise lady gāndhāri begets kali, the cause probleme… etau pakṣau bhaviṣyanti rājānaḥ kāla-choditāḥ | jāta-rāgāḥ pṛthivi arthe sarve saṁgrāma-lālasāḥ ||1-53-64 So, there will be two factions of kings of the same line… and kings trying to arrogate other’s land, will involve themselves in combats, self-ruinously… all this impelled by time… gacchatu iyaṁ vasumatī svāṁ yoniṁ loka-dhāriṇī | sṛśṭo ayaṁ naiṣṭhiko rājṣām upāyo loka-viśrutaḥ ||1-53-65 Let the forbearance of the bearer of all the worlds, namely earth, shall endure till such time… this is the method devised for the sake of elimination of self-limelighted kings…” So said brahma to ocean, ganga and other gods. niṣṭhā = maraṇam, who are scheduled to die soon. śrutvā pitāmaha vacaḥ sā jagāma yathā Agatam | pṛthivī saha kālena vadhāya pṛthivī-kṣitām ||1-53-66 On hearing the assurance of grandparent brahma, mother earth went away as she has come, expecting the elimination of burdensome kings on earth, remembering the time-tag fixed to it… devān achodayat brahmā nigraha-arthe sura-dviṣām | naraṁ caiva purāṇarṣiṁ śeṣaṁ ca dharaṇī-dharam ||1-53-67 sanatkumāraṁ sādhyān ca surān ca agni purogamān | varuṇam ca yamaṁ caiva sūryā candramasau tadā ||1-53-68 gandharva apsarasaḥ caiva rudra ādityāḥ tathā ashvinau | tataḥ aṁśān avaniṁ devāḥ sarva eva avatārayan ||1-53-69 Thereupon to counteract god-despisers brahma impelled and readied gods asking them to take prototypical incarnate on earth… some of them are: the most ancient sage nara from the pair of nara-nārāyaṇa-s; ādi-śeṣa the eternal serpent who bears earth on his hood, sage sanatkumāra, sādhya-gods, gods headed by firegod, raingod, timegod, sungod, moongod, gandharvā-s, apsarā-s, rudra-gods, ādityā-s likewise ashvini-twins… yathā te kathitaṁ pūrvam aṁśa avataraṇaṁ mayā | ayoni-jā yoni-jāḥ ca te devāḥ pṛthivī-tale ||1-53-70 daitya dānava hantāraḥ saṁbhūtāḥ puruṣeśvarāḥ | kṣīrikā-vṛkṣa saṁkāśā vajra-saṁhananāḥ tathā ||1-53-71 nāga Ayuta balāḥ kechit kechit ogha bala anvitāḥ | gadā parigha śaktīnāṁ sahāḥ parigha-bāhavaḥ ||1-53-72 Sage vaiśampāyana is now addressing king janamejaya: “As I have narrated earlier – purā - in Adi-parva of mahābhārata in aṁśāvatāra parva, gods incarnated as their own prototypes on earth through their intrinsic traits, some through parturition and some by self-manifestation, for the elimination of daityā-s and dānavā-s… some boomed like - kṣīrikā-vṛkṣam-s - banyan tree, aka the strangler fig tree, too vast and complicated in their structure… and some of them are hard-bodied like thunder-bolts… some have manifested with the strength of thousand elephants, some more with the impact of a tempest… some whose shoulders are like - parigha - a massive cross-beam used for the cross-wise closure of fort-gates from inside, lifted by more than a few people, and these mighty people are experts in using that massive - maces, cross-beam-like darts, and shakti missiles… Banyan trees are Indian specific. Nobody grows in them in their courtyard or kitchen garden, because they uproot, strangle, and collapse that house. So also, each of the kings took birth has become up-rooter, strangler, and collapser of his own house under the ambit of bharata dynasty. Wikipedia has this info: The seeds germinate and send down roots towards the ground, and may envelope part of the host tree or building structure with their roots, giving them the casual name of "strangler fig". Older banyan trees are characterized by their aerial prop roots which grow into thick woody trunks which, with age, can become indistinguishable from the main trunk. Old trees can spread out laterally using these prop roots to cover a wide area. The largest such tree is now found in Kolkatta in India. giri-śṛṅga prahartāraḥ sarve parigha-yodhinaḥ | vṛṣṇi vaṁśa samutpannāḥ shatasho atha sahasraśaḥ ||1-53-73 kuruvaṁśe ca te devāḥ paṣcāleṣu ca pārthivāḥ | yājṣikānāṁ samṛddhānāṁ brāhmaṇānāṁ ca yoniṣu ||1-53-74 sarvā astra-jṣā maheṣvāsā veda-vrata-parāyaṇāḥ | sarva rdhiguṇa saṁpannā yajvānaḥ puṇya karmiṇaḥ ||1-53-75 ācālayeyur ye śailān kruddhā bhindyur mahītalam | utpateyur atha ākāśaṁ kṣobhayeyur mahodadhim ||1-53-76 All of them are capable of striking with mountain peaks. Hundreds and thousands of gods, having arms like cross-beams, are born in the race of vṛṣṇi-s… some gods took birth in the dynasties of kuru and pānchala lineages as kings… some took birth in the prosperous family of yadu-s… while some more gods took birth as brāhmaṇa-s having credit of performing many sacrifices, well read in the scriptures, mighty bow-men, observant of Vedic rituals and endued with prosperity and accomplishments and pious deeds… All these incarnate gods, if angered, are capable of shaking mountains, shatter the earth, upheave the sky and agitate the mighty deep… This verse and some others will be in vein of some verses of vālmīki rāmāyaṇa. The above foots approximate with the verses said regarding the vānarā-s, when they too took incarnation, in VRmn. evam ādishya tān brahmā bhūta bhavya bhavat prabhuḥ | nārāyaṇe samāveśya lokāṣ śāntim upāgamat ||1-53-77 bhūyaḥ śṛṇu yathā viṣṇur avatīrṇo mahītale | prajānāṁ vai hitārthāya prabhuḥ prāṇa-hita-īśvaraḥ ||1-53-78 yayāti vaṁśa-jasya atha vasudevasya dhīmataḥ | kule pūjye yaśas-karmā jajṣe nārāyaṇaḥ prabhuḥ ||1-53-79 On ordering the gods in this way, the grandparent brahma, the master of present, past, and future, consigned all the works relating to all the worlds to nārāyaṇa and he took a breather... listen again, oh janamejaya, as to how the omnipotent viṣṇu incarnated himself on earth for the behoof of all beings, and on taking birth in the family of the intelligent vasu-deva, the descendant yadu dynasty, what praiseworthy deeds have been done by that lord nārāyaṇa… --o)0(o-- iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe harivaṁśaparvaṇi devānām aṁśa avataraṇe tripaṣcāśattamo'dhyāyaḥ Thus, this is the fifty-third chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the prototypal incarnations of gods on earth. --o)0(o--